Manoj Tiwary, Rohit Sharma eye Test spots playing in Ranji Trophy

Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma will both be hoping of a good a game against each to further their stakes in the Test ranks.

Written by Press Trust of India

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Mumbai:

Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary and his Mumbai counterpart Rohit Sharma are eyeing spots in the Indian middle-order which has opened up following the retirement of Test greats Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman even as they are focusing on their current jobs in the Ranji Trophy.

"I think I am performing really well. Definitely I am looking for a berth in the Test side. Looking forward to the chance that I would get. But it depends on the selectors," said the 27-year-old Tiwary ahead of the Ranji match against Mumbai starting here tomorrow.

Sharma, who missed Test debut against South Africa in Nagpur due to an ankle injury, said a spot in the national team is on the back of his mind even as he represents Mumbai.

"Yes, it is. Whenever you are going out, you always want to play at top level which is playing for India, so always things are there at the back of mind but I don't want it to affect my game," said Sharma.

"It's your ultimate goal, to be part of the national squad, but I don't want to put any pressure on myself. I want to enjoy what I am doing right now, so I will continue doing that," said the 25-year-old Nagpur-born player who has played 85 ODIs and 32 T20 internationals.

Both the batsmen have realised it pays to have patience.

"When I started I was an aggressive batsman by nature but then I realised I had to curb my instincts because, you have to have patience to score big runs. It can't just come if you play quickly or take too many risks initially," said Tiwary, who has played 8 ODIs and 3 T20Is since making his international debut in February 2008.

"Being the senior member of the side and a responsible batsman, I try to occupy the crease because all the other batsmen gain a lot of confidence when I am around. ItÂ becomes an added responsibility. I have to score big runs in order to get into the Indian team," he added.